Wednesday’s Woman … Claudia Silva Ferreira
On Saturday I re-blogged a post from an unknown blogger. I don’t often do this for a multitude of reasons but this one just shook me. I reread it two or three times and discussed it with my daughter before … clicking reblog. Even after several reads of a poor translation I still didn’t fully understand the background and reasons for the tributes. I have read more and have better understanding and add my voice to the that of the bereaved family who are demanding a full investigation.
Claudia Silva Ferreira was a mother of 4 children and was looking forward to celebrating 20 years marriage later in the year. She worked as an general assistant in the nearby hospital. Early on the morning of the 15th March she left home with a cup of coffee in hand and hurried off to work. Unbeknown to her in the street there was a fight going on between the police and some drug traffickers, Claudia was caught in the gunfire and was injured. The police claimed later that she appeared to be carrying a hand grenade!
Claudia was taken to hospital; by the Military police who tied her body to the back of a truck as a criminal and dragged her through the streets. Witnesses saw her body banging against the kerb stones and other vehicles. When she arrived she was dead.
Her family and local community are outraged and have staged protests.
The blog by olga@thinkolga.com was posted as a result. Artists created images in a bid to restore Claudia’s dignity, stolen so violently by the Military Police. With the project 100 times Claudia, Olga hoped that 100 artists would submit their respects.
As you can imagine her hopes have been far exceeded and the many pictures and good wishes will be sent to Claudia’s grieving family.
Weekly photo challenge … reflection
I have discussed my magpie ways on previous occasions; or rather my rather persuasive methods to justify ownerships of rubbish or cast offs. While others de-clutter I give things homes; why?
Because … and I have an endless list of tidy, well defined reasons and fast become cliches that I can conjure when faced with a homeless delight!
Now I have a new one (reason that is) fast become obsessional … ‘It will be useful for a still life!’
This little tea pot is a case in point; pretty useless for tea; although that would make it a ‘must have’ ( a very overused cliche in my house)
it will however for a while be used as a prop
A good weekend!
I had a mixed and beautiful weekend. Nothing much planned except much of the usual, like shopping, household chores and a coffee somewhere nice. I had some plants to put into pots, also planned a painting workshop at the Open Hand Centre. If time allowed it was important that I continued preparations for the exhibition next week and make some sketches for the book cover. I did want to make another design for the wood cutting weekend during April.
In my heart I hoped for some magic or some inspiration from the workshop for the book cover illustration.
I was able to complete most of the tasks and fairly content with the results; not sure whether there was any magic; it is a work in progress so I didn’t expect to see perfection yet; if at all. I am pleased with things so far and look forward to drawing on my new skills during the week.
As a bonus news from the Brazilian family is good they are both recovering well and were able to return the their home for an overnight stay. It has been two month since they left home on that fateful day and returning albeit carefully on crutches very slowly was a wonderful achievement. My daughter was able to cook a meal and be reunited with the cat (adopted stray) who has kept a day and night vigil in their absence.
So I have much to be grateful for … and give thanks!
Silent Sunday
100 vezes Cláudia
While I did know Claudia or her Family I pay tribute to her and her family and send love …
A convite da OLGA, alguns artistas gentilmente criaram imagens sensíveis, que se dispõe a resgatar a dignidade roubada por criminosos. Este projeto se chama 100 VEZES CLÁUDIA e é aberto para que qualquer um possa enviar suas homenagens. Ou seja, esperamos publicar aqui novas artes com frequência. Quem sabe não chegamos a 100? Por fim, gostaríamos de imprimir algumas das ilustrações e enviar à família de Cláudia. Quer participar? Escreva para olga@thinkolga.com.
UPDATE
Em 24 horas de projeto, conseguimos 100 homenagens à Cláudia!…
View original post 1,454 more words
Saturday … Reasons to be cheerful
I have spent the last two months or more ruminating about my hardships, disappointment and grief not without reason of course I cannot beat myself up for that as well. Rumination, has its uses: it help me make sense of the situation … it even gave me fodder for my blog posts. But sadly when out of balance rumination, that naturally goes on within can manifest as awkward outward behaviour. It therefore doesn’t help a person like me already depressed and ‘out of balance.’
So as I become more at ease with the sad situations surrounding my recent bereavement and my daughters accident I find the ruminations increasing. Even I am beginning to lose interest in the circles of conversations or would be conversations with poor innocent people who had no idea how a throwaway remark or thoughtless action had sent me into a place of disrepair. So I am now needing some positive action and considering reasons to be cheerful
… so while I have already ruminated on them I will just say
Alleluia!
For truth, choices, love, tea and hyacinths!
Oh yes and this little tea pot … and some biscuits!
Friday from the Library
This week as I prepare for an exhibition later in the month; I find myself pleasantly distracted by an invitation. I have been asked to design a book cover (not necessarily a jacket)
As I work closely with books that are circulated on a regular basis, I understand the need for a book cover and its jacket. At first they are both useful for advertising and for the books’ promotion. After that, the cover and its jacket are merely protection. The jacket is usually discarded and the cover often destroyed by library staff with labels and tags, by students or simply, they get worn so any images are obliterated .
However, when the books that are no longer circulated in the same way and have become rare and special we look more closely at the covers or bindings. We mourn the loss of the jacket.
And as a result we do have a items reunited with jackets and honoured as they should be.
So I was able to look at a few this week although a little outdated they are evocative and food for thought.
Alphabe Thursday R is for Red
Red, (crimson or scarlet) is one of the ancient dyes in the Middle ages it was called kermes from the Sanskrit kirmidja meaning derived from a worm.The Hebrew word for it was tola’at shani for worm scarlet. The red compound is extracted from a wingless insect , Kermes vermilio, that lives in the scarlet oak Quercus coccifera that grows in the Near East, Spain, southern France and southern Italy. The dye is obtained by crushing the insect and boiling them in lye.
Kermes is the linguistic root of the English crimson and carmine and the French cramoise; but because the kermes insects encrusted on a branch looked like a cluster of berries, the ancient Greek writers referred to them as kokkos meaning berry. However, another writer of the time thought the insects had a more vegetative appearance and preferred to call the red dye granum meaning grain.
Because of the long lasting nature of the dye the phrase was used to mean deeply or permanently red from this comes the English in grained.
In the 4th century St Jerome confused by all this decided to use the term vermiculum meaning little worm. From this came the vermilion a synthetic red pigment made from sulphur and mercury not the juice of berries or crushed insects … I am in debt to Philip Ball in Bright Earth.
On Wednesday some questions …
I have been asked to illustrate the front cover of a book of short stories. I am of course delighted at such a suggestion but after having slept or rather not slept on the matter I am having doubts. Not about my ability to produce a picture. Although I have not read the stories yet, as they are being translated, I will read some at least and be in a position to make a few valid drafts and finished pieces.
Whether the author like them is a different story.
It is for me the technical stuff while I am an artist, the engineering side of me is asking questions like ‘Sleeve or front cover; there is already tension; which? Do I work to the finished size or larger?
Although I work in the world of publisher’s archives and could see any amount of archival material relating to book jacket design and illustration, these are from the golden age or at least pre-digital and desk-top publishing.
So while I can look, wonder and learn, the methods used then and now to reproduce the original drawings are poles apart and not helpful to me …. unfamiliar with graphics and desk-publishing or publishing in general
I would value thoughts and guidance.
Meanwhile unperturbed by the material I do have at hand I will look and share over the next few weeks. This image I have shown before but nonetheless evocative and food for thought …
Weekly Photo Challenge … Inside
I have often spoken about my little house here in Reading, Berkshire. It was built in the late 19th century for the workers of the local biscuit factory, Huntley and Palmer. The rows of tiny terraced houses with postage stamp back yard are cramped beside, the Thames where it meets the Kennet and Avon Canal. Our street, and those that run parallel almost north, south; so they never see the rising and setting of the sun; directly. If we are lucky we see it reflected in the grey slate tiles or the famous Reading red brickwork of the surrounding houses. .
Yesterday as the sun went down I saw her last rays on a straggly sycamore tree in a nearby yard.
As I focused my camera I noticed this eye looking back at me inside looking out.
Coat Hanger Doll's House 